I was fortunate enough to spend several years as an officer in The United States Army Reserve. You could say I was a nice enough guy, but never quite made it to Colonel.* Even given that somewhat limited background, I feel I learned sufficiently what an army does well and what an army should not be used for. Suffice it to say that the true purpose of an Army is to blow up our nation’s enemies or be powerful enough to command the respect of others to the point where they check their animosity towards us at the door. An army is not an institution that should ever be used for social engineering. Thus, a recent article by Dana Milbank** had me imagining an American version of Pinochet. Milbank opines below:

As I make my rounds each day in the capital, chronicling our leaders’ plentiful foibles, failings, screw-ups, inanities, outrages and overall dysfunction, I’m often asked if there’s anything that could clean up the mess….But there is one change that, over time, could reverse the problems that have built up over the last few decades. We should have mandatory military service for all Americans, men and women alike, when they turn 18. The idea is radical, unlikely and impractical — but it just might work.

Concerning Democratic plans to bring back the military draft? Of course, it bears remembering that we encountered this kind of commentary when the suspicion was that the Bush Administration would bring back the draft, but the Administration never made any moves to do so–not that this lack of Administration action did anything to cause its critics and accusers to admit error. Those same critics and | Read More »